São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão

An open quadrilateral at the heart of São Cristóvão in Sergipe, São Francisco Square is framed by the church and convent of the Franciscans, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia and the former Provincial Palace, with rows of 18th- and 19th-century houses completing the scene. Little altered since colonial times, the ensemble earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2010 as an outstanding expression of the building tradition the Franciscan order developed across Brazil's north-east.